Portable feed apparatus.



No. 728,923. PATENTBD MAY 26, 1903.

' A. A. HOYT. PORTABLE FEED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11} 1903.

NO MODEL.

UNTTEI) STATES iatented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

PORTABLE FEED APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,923, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed February 11, 1903! Serial No. 142,854. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, ADA A. HOYT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, Brooklyn borough, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Portable Feed Apparatus, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to improvements in contrivances of that class employed at variable localities for containing feed for animals, particularly horses, the same being commonly known as portable feed apparatus.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of the character above indicatedwhich shall be simple and inexpensive as regards construction, which shall be collapsible, thus facilitating its transportation from point to point and likewise the storage thereof when not required for practical service, which shall be durable, efficient, and reliable in operation, which shall insure to the user thereof a marked degree of convenience in applying the same to practical purposes, and which shall possess certain well-defined advantages over prior analogous constructions.

The invention consists in the novel disposition and relative arrangement of the various elements thereof, whereby the attainment of the foregoing object is rendered practicable, in certain combinations, and in certain details of construction, all of which will be specifically referred to hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference-numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

As to said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portable feed apparatus constructed in accordance with myinvention, theparts being shown as having been adjusted for practical service. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the parts being shown in substantially the positions they respectively occupy under the collapsed or folded condition of the device as awhole. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of said apparatus, the parts in the main being shown as having been adjusted for prac- Fig. 4 is a central transverse tical service.

section of the feed-trough which constitutes an element of my improved apparatus.

In a general sense myimproved apparatus comprises a feed-trough having an auxiliary feed-pocket adapted to automatically discharge its contents into said feed-trough and means for controlling the discharge of the contents of said feed-pocket.

It further comprises a collapsible feedtrough, a collapsible frame forsupporting said trough, said frame consisting of pivotallyassembled frame members, and said trough being removably conjoined With said frame, and means for limiting the movement of either of said framemembers with respect to the other.

In carrying out my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, I make use of a feed-trough 2, which may be of any appropriate general contour and formed from any suitable material. This trough is provided with an auxiliary feed-pocket 2, here shown as arranged interiorly of the trough 2, having a cover 2 and a dischargenozzle 3,the latter being provided with a cap 3, fitting snugly thereto and having accordingly a frictional engagement therewith. Other means, however, may be employed for insuringa serviceable conj uncture of the cap 3 with the nozzle 3. To provide against misplacement or loss of the cap 3' the same may be attached to any appropriate elementof the construction, as the base of the nozzle 3,and by means of any suitable connection, as the chain 4. Any convenient and approved fasteners, as the straps 4 4; and buckles 5 5, may be employed for securing the cover 2 in its closed position with respect to the pocket 2.

It will be observed that the opposite end portions of the pocket 2' are each inclined downwardly in the direction of the nozzle 3. This feature is availed of for insuring proper presentation of the contents of the pocket 2 at the nozzle 3 for automatic 'delivery into the trough 2 when said cap 3 shall have been removed from the nozzle 3.

Ordinarily I purpose to make use of the trough 2 in conjunction with a collapsible or folding supporting-frame, and under such conditions said trough is formed mainly or wholly from fabric, leather, or analogous material, so that the same will more efficiently cooperate with its supporting-frame. A fram e" of the character described is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and is there shown as comprising pivotally conjoined frame members, one of which consists in opposing end rails 6 6, rigidly connected by means of the cross-bars 5 6 and the other ofopposing end rails 7 7, rigidly connected by means of the cross-bars 7 8, said frame members being assembled, so that each has an axis of movement with respect to the other, as through the medium of the pivot 8 and a correspondingpivot (not shown) at the opposite end of the device, the latter pivot connecting the rails 6' 7 in the same manner that the rails 6 and 7 are connected by the pivot 8. Y

The construction referred to in the next preceding paragraph permits the frame members aforenamed to be distended or unfolded, as to the position indicated in either Fig. 1 or Fig. 3 of the drawings, and also to be folded or collapsed, as to the position indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

I prefer that the trough 2 be removably conjoined with its supporting-frame, and to this end I have provided the cross-bar 5 with books 8 9, and the cross-bar 8 with corresponding hooks, (not shown,) the hooks 8 9 being designed to receive the rings 9 9", respectively, with which trough 2 is provided, atone side thereof, and the hooks corresponding to 8 9, with which the bar 8 is provided,

being adapted to receive rings corresponding to 9 9 at the opposite side of said trough, one of which is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings and denoted by the numeral 10.

To limit the distending movement of the frame members aforenamed, each relatively to the other, and thus prevent the applica tion of undue tension to the trough 2 when conjoined with such frame members, any approved means may be availed of, such as the flexible element 10', here shown as taking the form of a chain and connecting the bars 7" 6. I prefer, however, for the purpose specified, to employ in conjunction with the trough 2 flexible connections 11 11, one at the upper edge of each of the end portions of said trough, and said connections may respectively take the form of a rope, wire, or analogous element. Where the connections 11 11 are made use of, the rings hereinbefore referred to as being conjoined with trough 2 are attached directly to such connections, one at each end of each thereof, as illustrated in the drawings. Accordingly in practice said connections 11 11 will serve to limit the distending movement of each of the frame members aforenamed,thus relieving thetrough 2 proper from all undue tension, and the element 10 may be dispensed with.

The operation of the apparatus will be apparent from the foregoing description thereof, and it will be seen that the same may be modified to some extent without materially departing from the spirit and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus of the class herein described comprising a collapsible feed-trough having an auxiliary feed-pocket adapted to automatically directly discharge its contents into said trough, and means for controlling the delivery of the contents of said pocket to and into said trough, substantially as herein specified.

2. An apparatus of the class herein described comprising a collapsible feed-trough; a feed-pocket conjoined with said trough, said pocket having a discharge-outlet; and means for controlling said outlet, the latter being situated at or near the bottom of said feedpocket and directly communicating with the interior of said feed-trough, and said pocket being adapted to automatically discharge its contents to and into said trough by way of said outlet, substantially as herein specified.

3. An apparatus of the class herein described comprising a collapsible feed-trough; a feed-pocket conjoined with said trough, said pocket having a cover and a discharge-nozzle; and a removable cap for closing said nozzle, the latter being situated at or near the bottom of said nozzle and directly communicating with the interior of said trough, and said pocket being adapted to deliver its contents into said trough by way of said nozzle, when the cap aforenamed is removed from said nozzle, substantially as herein specified.

4. An apparatus of the class herein described comprising a collapsible feed-trough 5 a feed-pocket conjoined with said trough, said pocket having a discharge-outlet at or near its bottom; and means for controlling said outlet, the said outlet communicating directly -with the interior of said trough, and said pocket having an inclined wall or inclined walls whereby presentation of its contents to said discharge-outlet is automatically effected, substantially as herein specified.

5. In an apparatus of the class herein described, in combination, a collapsible feedtrough; a collapsible frame for supporting said trough, said frame consisting of frame members having each an axis of movement with respect to the other; and means for limiting the distending movement of each of said frame members with respect to the other, said trough being removably conjoined with said frame, substantially as herein described.

6. In an apparatus of the class herein described, in combination, a collapsible feedtrough provided with rings along opposite upper edges thereof; a collapsible frame for supporting said trough, said frame consisting of frame members having each an axis of movement with respect to the other, and provided each with hooks for cooperating, respectively, with the rings aforenamed, to the end that said trough may be removably conjoined with said frame, or readily displaced therefrom; and means for limiting the distending movement of each of said frame members with respect to the other, substantially as herein specified.

7. In an apparatus of the class herein described, in combination, a supporting-frame consisting of frame members assembled so that each has an axis of movement with respect to the other; a collapsible feed-trough having flexible connections conjoined therewith, one at the upper edge of each end portion thereof; and elements between said connections and said frame members whereby said trough maybe removably conjoined with said frame, substantially as herein specified.

8. In an apparatus of the class herein described, in combination, a collapsible sup- ADA A. HOYT.

Witnesses:

S. R. GAsKILL, W. H. RUBY. 

